Scraper bit



May 8, 1962 E. w.'m| s, JR

SCRAPER BIT Filed March 25, 1960 jr-cz er-cf'af 22mm: 0/45 (/22 tates Unite This invention relates to a scraper bit, and, more particularly, to a multi-piece structure that serves as a side cutter in a scraper or similar earthworking apparatus.

The instant invention has particular application to scraper-haulers wherein the scraper is provided as part of a :bowl and is positioned along the bottom forward edge of the bowl. In such a case, the bowl is also defined by vertically-extending side walls and the lower forward edges of these side walls are the subject of extreme wear. Conventionally, it has been the practice to provide earthcutting elements in the nature of'bits for these side walls to cooperate with the scraper blade in working the earth.

A problem has existed relative to the bits in maximizing both working life and cutting ability. For superior cutting of the bits, a hardened metal'sho uld be used, but this has not proved practical in use because of the rough nature of the work. The harsh shocks to which the bits are subjected have, in the past, required that the bits be somewhat resilient in order to avoid the danger of premature failure. This has required, in effect, a softer material of construction which derogates from the desirable long life.

Thus there arises a corollary problem of frequent replacement of these bits, which can be a time-consuming operation. Usually, the bits are attached with bolts, say three to five per bit, and it may require up to one-half hour to change a set of bits. This, of course, is most undesirable, since it means a loss of valuable working time of an expensive piece of equipmentgenerally one for which there is no ready substitute.

The very nature of the bits has required toleration of these inadequacies. The side walls to'which the bits are attached must necessarily last a long time, since replacement would mean virtual reconstruction of the scraper bowl. These side walls are thereforeconstructed with a view toward cooperating with the remainder of the bowl in defining a receptacle for earth and for properly form ing the earth as it is scraped. Thus, the side walls are not essentially available for a cutting operation and the shocks experienced by the bit-equipped forward edges must be absorbed primarily by the bits. This naturally contributes to an exceedingly'short working life for the, bits;

It is a general object of this invention to provide a superior bit structure which is capable of avoiding the complex problems outlined above.

' Another object is to provide replaceable wear elements for a scraper, and the like, in which a plurality of bit-like members are interconnected to a side wall and which cooperate in resisting hard shocks in an earth-working operation while also resisting wear to provide a long working life. Still another object is to provide replacement equipment for scrapers, and the like, which permits a change in wear elements in a substantially shorter time than that heretofore available.

Yet another object is to provide a side wall sub-assembly for a scraper, or the like, which includes tongue-andgroove interconnected elements suitable for easy replacement in the side wall but which cooperate among themselves to provide a long and effective working life. Other objects and advantages of this invention can be seen in the details of construction and operation which are set down in the following specification.

The invention will be explained in conjunction with an 2 illustrative embodiment thereof, in the accompanying drawing, in which- FIG. '1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a scraper equipped with side cutting bits according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of a'fragment of the scraper bowl seen in FIG. 1 and which fea tures the inventive structure;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 4,4 of FIG. 2'; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. '2.

In the illustration given, the numeral 10 designates generally a scraper which is a wheeled vehicle (a rear wheel being designated by the numeral 11) and which is pulled by a tractor or other self-propelled vehiclethe rear wheel of the tractor being designated by the numeral 12.

1 The scraper 10 includes a box-like body or bowl 13 dc.- fi ne d by a bottom wall 14 and side walls 15 and 16. Suite able transverse bracing and top members (not shown) are provided, and the forward or leading edge of the bottom wall 14' is equipped with a scraper blade 17. All of the foregoing is conventional structure, and it is believed that the brief description just given is suflicient to inform those skilled in the art as to this particular utility of the invention.

' The side walls 15 and 16, at their lower forward corners, are equipped with a replaceable bit structure generally designated in FIG. 1 by the numeral 18. The bits 18 are marketed under a variety of names such as router bits, slobber bits, clobber bits, ground plates, etc. In operation, these elements provide a kind of side cutter whichhelps the' penetration of the transverse cutting edge, i.e., the scraper blade 17, and which prevents sideways spillage. Without such a bit, the wear on the edge of the scraper blade and the sides of the scraper is materially increased.

The forward lower portion of the side wall 16 of FIG. 1 is seen in enlarged elevational view in FIG. 2, and reference will now be made to that particular figure. It is seen that the side wall along the lower edge is equipped with a sideboard 1 9-the sideboard being seen in section in FIGS. 4 and 5. In the past, the bits have been 'secured directly to the sideboard to protect the same and also cooperate with it in the cutting and forming of earth in an earth-working operation. In the embodiment illustrated, the sideboard is equipped with an adapter 29, which is seen to'be an elongated metal member having a six-sided'elevational shape the lower edge having three segments. The upper edge Zila is straight and disposed generally at a slight angle to the ground, i.e., 15, while the side edges 2 0b and 200 are fairly short, straight sides, disposed generally perpendicular with the ground. The lower edge Ziid comprehends a series of straight lines approximating an arcuate shape. The adapter 20 is removably mounted on the sideboard 19 by means of bolts 21 received in suitable aligned openings in the adapter and sideboard and equipped with suitable nuts.

The adapter 20 in the usual installation may have a length of about two feet and a maximum width of the order of six inches. Such a structure, when constructed of alloy steel, will weigh in the neighborhood of forty pounds, so that its installation and removal are not arduous tasks.

The lower edge 26d of the adapter 20 is equipped with a longitudinally-extending tongue 22 (see FIG. 5). The tongue 22 is narrowed as at 22a (see FIG. 4) in the areas where the connected lines defining lower edge 20:! intersect, these areas also being designated by the numeral 22a in FIG. 2. Thus, it is possible to readily install the plurality of generally quadrilateral-shaped bits 23, 24

and 25 from the forward edge b of the adapter, the narrowed tongues 22a facilitating the sliding mounting of the bits 23 and 24.

Also seen in FIG. 2 is a fourth bit 26 positioned at the extreme rearward end of the adapter and which is secured as by welding to the scraper side wall. The bit 26 serves as an anchor against rearward displacement of the bits 2325 when the same are subjected to harsh stresses and imparts a certain amount of rigidity to the bit assembly.

The bits 23-26 are interconnected, and for this purpose the vertically-extending edges are equipped with tangs 27 or tang-receiving pockets 28, as the case may be (see particularly FIG. 3). For this purpose, each bit is longitudinally tapered, as can be appreciated from a consideration of the bit 25 seen in FIG. 3. One end, the enthickened end 25a, is equipped with a longitudinally-extending semi-circular projection which forms the tang 27. The thickness of the bit, bit 25 as illustrated in FIG. 3, becomes less in proceeding longitudinally away from the end 2511 so that a relatively narrower thickness is found in the region 25b. To the right of the region 25b in FIG. 3, an enlargement or enthickened area is provided which serves to define the tang-receiving recess or pocket 28. The bits 25 and 23, in the illustration given, are identical, being characterized by having four generally straight sides or edgeswith the exception of the contour provided by the tang 27. The central bit 24 has the shape essentially of a truncated sector, with the lower edge 24:: being arcuate and convexly disposed relative to the upper edge 24b.

Inthe operation of the structure just described, the interconnections between the bits and the adapter 26 and the interconnection between the bits themselves provided by the tangs 27 and the pockets 28, provides a desirable freedom to deflect slightly around impacted objects and thus assume the most advantageous orientation for resist ing a rupture-inducing shock. This permits the emplo ment of tough, hard materials of construction so as to promote a long working life of the bit and thereby reduce the frequency of replacement.

However, when replacement is in order, a complete set of bits can be changed in approximately two minutes, since no bolts are required for the assembly of the bits themselves. In the infrequent replacement of the adapter, a fairly simple operation is involved, since only four bolts are required to be removed in such an instance.

In the interconnected bit structure described, a further advantage accrues from the interlocking tangs and anchor piece. This, in effect, provides hinges intersected at an angle which yields a proper balance of flexibility and strength.

The configuration made possible through the bit construction just described is seen to be an essentially arcuate leading edge. I have found that the rounded leading edge gives better penetration and easier cutting than in conventional, sharp-cornered bits.

While, in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a detailed description of an embodiment of the invention for the purposes of explanation thereof, many variations in the details herein given will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A replaceable side structure for a scraper, comprising an elongated flat member adapted to be secured to a scraper bowl adjacent the lower forward portion thereof, said member, along its lower longitudinal edge, being equipped with a longitudinally-extending tongue, a plurality of fiat bit elements pivotally mounted on said member, each element having a generally quadrilateral shape, with one edge defining a cutting edge and the edge opposite said cutting edge being equipped with a groove, said tongue being mounted in said groove, one of said elements, along an edge between said cutting edge and said grooveequipped edge, being equipped with a tang, and another of said elements in adjacent contacting relation With said one element being equipped with a pocket, said tang being pivotally mounted in said pocket.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which three elements are provided, two of which are identical and spaced on opposite sides of the third element and in contacting relation therewith.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said member lower edge is defined by a plurality of connected intersecting straight lines and provides, in effect, an approximately arcuate lower edge, said tongue having a reduced thickness in the spaced-apart areas, said areas being located at the intersections of said lines.

4. A corner bit structure adapted to be secured to a scraper equipped with a longitudinally-extending depending tongue and wherein a plurality of bits are mounted on said tongue with said bits having tang and pocket interconnections, comprising a flat, elongated, generally quadrilateral-shaped metal element, one edge of said element being equipped with a longitudinally-extending groove adapted to receive said tongue, said groove being sized relative to said tongue for pivotal mounting thereon, the edge .of said element opposite said groove-equipped edge providing a cutting edge, at least one of the edges between said cutting edge and said groove being equipped with an inwardly-extending, tang-receiving pocket, said tangreceiving pocket being sized relative to the tang on an adjacent bit for pivotal mounting of said adjacent bit tang in said tang-receiving pocket.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which said cutting edge is longitudinally arcuate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,736,045 Miley Nov. 19, 1929 1,799,929 Rauch Apr. 7, 1931 7 1,889,667 Klauer Nov. 29, 1932 2,831,275 Kimsey Apr. 22, 1958 2,850,815 Edwards Sept. 9, 1958 

